Laundry apparatus.



J. L. ATWATBR.

, t LAUNDRY APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED 0015, 1910.

993,012. Patented May 23, 19t-1.

` am I lf/(LMT,

citizen of the'v United `UruTnD STATES PATENT JQHN L. ATWATER, oF WEs'fEnN SPRINGS, ILLINoIs.

ing them therein and they do not need t0 supports' the clothes.

be attached to theboiler dr other receptacleV in any way. Their nature and mode of operation is fully explained below, and will be understood from the accompanying drawing Figure 1 isa vertical section of a house washboiler showlng therein the invention in elevation. Figs. 2 and 3 are sections on the lines 2 2 and 3 3 respectively of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a. partial plan ofthe rocker which plan of one of the suction cups. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the supports vof the suction cups.

ln the bottom of the boiler 6 I place a false bottom or rocker 7 composed preferably of separated slats 8 mounted ai. their v centers upon a base 9 the under surface of which is rounded as plainly shown in' Fig. 1. From the sides of the base 9 and extending upward are two upright pieces 10 of metal pipe firmly secured in thimbles 11 `which are let into the falzf-e bottoni, and are rendered very rigid therein by bolts 12, the upper' ends ofwhich are threaded in the thimbles. and the lower ends of which are screwed orotherwise secured in heads or sockets 13. y

In the uprights l0 are inserted two vertical rods 14 supported at any height therein desired by set screws l5. the vertical adjustment of the rods depending upon amount of room required for the. goods being washed. lhe rods are provided upon their upper ends. with tees 1G, and these tees form end supports for a cross har or shaft 17 which unites the rods 14. Centrally upon the cross bar is placed armed tec 18 and from the lower varm is hung athree armed tee 19 through the horizontal arms of which a. bar 20 carrying suction cups at its ends as hereinafter stated, is passed. A hand lever 21 is attached tothe tee 18 by couplings 22 and Fig. is a bottomv "LAUNDRY APPARATUS.'

connecting pipe sections andextends overthe end of the boiler as shown at Fig. 1, and

serves as a means of impart-ing a rocking motion to the Whole apparatus upon the rounded base 9. The bar 2O by reason of its being supoFFfioE.'

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented hIay 2.3, 1911 i i i Application led (lottaberv 5, 1910. Serial 1\To. 5 5,371`.4

ported on cross bar 17 is capable of an independent rocking movement and when the.

hand' lever 21 is-V actuated this independent rcdring movement is given-the bar 20, and at' practically the same time with the actuations of the bottom rocker. Bar 20 carriesy '/atits ends suction cups 23, 23,'.and the rocks.

ing movement received from lever -21 car- .70 ries these cups alternately downward upon' the clothes being operated upon, and "lifts them therefrom alternately. hollow, preferably cone shaped and provided at their bottoms with crossbarsv 24 adapted to prevent the clothes from entering them.v At their tops the metal is bent to `form a {lat surface 25 and above and below this are washers 26 through which. passes a bolt 27 entering to therinterior of the 4cup and securing the cup to the tee' 28.' In the.

" side arms of the tec are entered the cnd's These cups are of bar 20, so that the cups are supported by the'bar as will be understood. may be employedv upon the tops of the bolts.

Writh this construction the operation of the invention is as follows:-'1`he base or rocker bot-tom of the apparatus described is first placed .in the boiler preferablyv without being attached to it at anyr point. The clothes to be washed arethen placed on the base, andthe suction cups and their support Loek nuts 29 are then secured in place upon the standards 1 0 and above the goods. After the water has reached the boiling heat, or while it is being heated, the-'lever is moved'back and forth for a fewminutes, thereby rocking the base and the cups at the same time. In vthe case of the base the ends move up alternately and down alternately thus lifting the clothes and depressing them alternately, forcing the water into them when moved downward, and draining it out of them vwhen raised. At the same time one of the cups is forced upon the top of the goods while the other islifted from them, squeezingthe los water out of the goods in the one case and causing a/rsuetion upon the goods which will attract the `water in to them 1n the other case. In this manner the water 1s kept movingrv in and out of the clothes'and through them so,

that they become quickly cleansed.

In operating the apparatus, it will be noticed that in order to give motion to the bottom rocker, the top of the apparatus will be' moved longitudinally, first toward one end and then toward the other end, It will also be noted that the bottom rocker can also be used with ood effect, Without the suction cupsfalso, tiat the false bottomcan be widened or duplicated and the cups also duplicated if it is` desired to employ a 'motor tooperate them in an enlarged boiler.A

While the suction'cups or other pressing devices and rocking false bottom are moved simultaneously or nearly so it Will be noticed that their movements are not exactly alike but may vary from each other very considerably. The pressing devices have a greater movement than the bottom, and usually begin to move before the bottom, andthe movement of the bottom is likely'to be arrested by contact with the bottom of the 'boiler before the pressing device have iin- A ished their stroke, and variatins in the v lever, causes the rocking of the' false bottom 3 position ofgthe' `false\=\l:ottom to any great4 extent. fw

movements are likely to be cau "d by dif-l ferent Ways of operatinglever '21. Thus a horizontal motion without lifting of the Without giving muchmovement 'to the pressing devices, while a lliftingof the lever without the horizontal movement tends to swing the pressing devices-.without` changing theV 'I.c1aim:-- 1 ',124 In apparatus for washing clothes and fabi-ics, the combination with a wash boiler or other suitable vessel, of the rocking false bottom, a pair of suction cups mounted on the ends of a swinging support, a hand lever for rocking the false bottom and the cup support, and an upright structure, rising from said bottom and supporting said leverl and said cup support.

` 2. In apparatus for Washing clotheis, an

fabrics, the combination with a washboiler orother suitable vessel, of. a rocking lfalse bottom supporting the goods to bewashed, and rising and falling pressure devices mounted above the goods on a pivoted support mechanically connected to said false bottom and swinging so as to press on the goods, and means for operating the bottom and pressure devices.-

. 3. In apparatus for washing clothes and.'

fabrics, the combination with a washboiler or other suitable vessel, of a rocking false bottom supporting the goods to be Washed, and rising and mounted above the goods on a Swinging support mechanically vconnected to said false bottom and swinging with Aa .motion vary- I ing from that of the bottom. v

4. In apparatus for washing clothes and falling pressure devices fabrics, 'the combination with a washboiler .I 

